The lively baby shower banquet came to an end. After seeing off Lady Yin Genjue and the others, Qingyan turned to look at the two children quietly. They were fast asleep. Today was their first time meeting the royal family.
When the children were born, Li Dequan came in person. He saw the two children before returning to the palace to report. Emperor Kangxi rarely sent Li Dequan to see the birth of the third generation. Apart from Songkri Yierha, he had never even seen the birth of the Crown Prince's illegitimate son.
"Little darling, the children's third-day celebration is very grand," Yin said softly to Qingyan as he walked in from outside.
Qingyan smiled. She was very happy today. After all, Jue Luo was her mother, and she was still good to her daughter at this crucial moment.
"Fourth Brother, we've angered Madam Tong Guowei," Qingyan said, feeling very uneasy.
Tong Guowei wields considerable influence in the imperial court. Since Yin has inadvertently offended him, Tong Guowei's wife will definitely complain when she returns home, and the Tong family will have a sleepless night.
"Don't worry about it, Father and Mother know what they're doing!" Yin was in charge of the reception at the front, while the grudge between Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei was growing stronger.
Yin picked her up and moved her inside, and they fell asleep together, fully clothed and holding Qingyan.
The next morning, Yin quietly got out of bed, stood by the stroller, and leaned down to kiss the heads of the two children. The little princess frowned and shook her head from side to side in her swaddling clothes, hoping to avoid Yin's kiss.
"Little girl." Yin smiled indulgently at her little actions.
The little princess's appearance was similar to Qingyan's when he was young, which made him feel as if he had returned to Qingyan's childhood.
"You all take good care of the Fujin, the prince, and the princess." Yin watched as Sulan and the others bowed, then he changed into his court robes and went out.
During the morning court session, everyone stole glances in Yin's direction. Yesterday, the baby's third-day celebration at Yin's residence was extremely grand, as it was the first time the royal family had held twins. Many people had not received invitations, and they couldn't just show up on their own.
Most of the invited officials' wives and newlyweds attended, hoping to share in the good fortune of the Fourth Prince's wife.
After the morning court session, Tong Guowei gave Tong Guogang and Yin a dark look and left immediately. Li Dequan then led them to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Mother..." Yin entered the room and saw Consort Tong standing there, waiting for the two of them to come over. He couldn't help but wonder why his mother was in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The imperial concubines were rarely allowed to enter the court. While the Empress Dowager was alive, the late emperor restricted her power by erecting a sign at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation stating that female relatives should not interfere in politics.
At this moment, Consort Tong was dressed in the everyday clothes of a Manchu man, and her jet-black hair had been braided.
"This servant greets His Majesty and His Majesty!" Tong Guogang looked at his niece, whom he had doted on since childhood, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"Get up quickly." Kangxi glanced at Consort Tong. "Amuqi, thank you for your hard work at the baby's third-day celebration for the fourth prince's offspring!"
Consort Tong's eyes were filled with bitterness. That evening, Lady Tong Guowei conveyed her numerous grievances to Consort Tong through a palace maid.
Yesterday, Emperor Kangxi's expression was initially good, but it darkened further due to Lady Tong's complaint.
"Your Majesty, it is our honor. The Fourth Prince's children are truly remarkable." Tong Guogang didn't care about such things. However, after returning home, the lady felt that the Fourth Prince and his wife were well-prepared. In the absence of elders, it was quite remarkable that the two of them could prepare so meticulously.
Emperor Kangxi smiled slightly. His twins were an encouragement to the Qing Dynasty. Heaven had allowed the royal family to have such a pair of treasures, and it also gave the south a reason to feel at ease.
Both Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion displayed signs announcing the birth of twins, a boy and a girl, and offered discounts on many headdresses. Loyal customers flocked to place orders. Linglong Pavilion's business boomed, so much so that the headdress makers had no time to rest.
"Fourth Prince, we must pay extra attention to the children's safety!" Kangxi was very worried that the anti-Qing and pro-Ming people in the south would retaliate against the twins. Their existence was originally a sign from heaven, a reward for the Aisin Gioro clan, but it was not a good sign for the Han people in the south.
"Father, the servants in the manor are all very dedicated." Fearing that Kangxi would increase the number of secret guards, Yin quickly said that the guards in his manor were very diligent.
“Doing your best is not enough, Li Dequan. Have Tulichen arrange for people to protect the twins.” Kangxi valued the lives of his sons more. If the dragon died and the phoenix lived, it would become a curse for the Qing Dynasty.
Yin fell silent. The safety of the twins required extra attention. The shops in Jiangnan had already sent messages to the capital, and someone was secretly inquiring about the owners behind Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion.
Under Emperor Kangxi's very nose, they expanded their business throughout the country, even reaching important border locations.
At the Fourth Prince's residence, Qingyan had just gotten up when Sulan heard a noise in the room and quickly came in. Qingyan was still in her postpartum period, so all her movements had to be done in bed.
Qingyan glanced at the sleeping children beside her, then washed her face with warm water with peace of mind. After washing up, she began to eat at the kang table. At the door, the servants came to greet her as required by custom.
"Granny Liu, you can handle these trivial matters yourself. There's no need to report back to me." Qingyan smiled. Granny Liu came from the palace, and since Yin trusted her, Qingyan would also choose to trust her.
Granny Liu was very reserved. Consort Tong instructed her that she could only offer help if the Fourth Prince's wife personally asked for it.
"Madam, this..." Granny Liu tried to decline.
“Granny, you see I’m in confinement after childbirth, and the master is busy with state affairs. We can’t let him be busy with the affairs of the inner quarters,” Qingyan quickly said.
Seeing that Qingyan was sincere, Granny Liu quickly agreed.
“Madam, you still need to handle important matters of the mansion yourself.” Granny Liu also had her bottom line. She had to do what her masters asked of her, but she also needed to leave herself some personal space.
Qingyan relaxed, but she had to look after the two children and think about the affairs of the mansion. It was like burning the candle at both ends, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
In other households, the wives of the first wife would have a concubine to help them during childbirth, so she could say that every loss she suffered was a gain in return.
"Granny, why don't you go out and send those servants away first?" Qingyan was getting a headache. Even the head nanny had these people come to report on those trivial matters.
It seemed as if they were waiting for Qingyan to find someone to help, which made Qingyan feel uneasy.
"My lady, those old women have connections with many court officials. Some of them have been bribed and are preparing to speak well of the other officials' daughters to you." Su Shu investigated slowly from the outside and uncovered all the problems with these old women.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qingyan's expression instantly darkened. This was clearly a challenge to Qingyan's authority, a prelude to sending someone away in the chaos. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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